New Zealand Mental Illness Campaign Captures Awards
By Robyn Hunt

New Zealand's innovative Like Minds, Like Mine project to counter stigma and discrimination towards people with experience of mental illness won Marketing Magazine's 2003 Supreme Award.

These awards recognise marketing achievement across all sectors of New Zealand and are the most prestigious marketing awards. This is a major achievement in the marketing industry and follows the project's success in the Effie advertising awards last year.

The high-profile project also won Marketing Magazine's 2003 award in the Bizam Charity/Fundraising/Non-profit category.

The Ministry of Health campaign features the experiences of Popular and well known New Zealanders Kiwis, such as Sports stars and others who appear with friends, who are also popular icons.

Director-General of Health Dr Karen Poutasi says "Changing societies ingrained discriminatory attitudes is recognised as one of the most difficult tasks in social marketing. Like Minds, Like Mine touches a chord with many New Zealanders and has helped move people along a continuum towards accepting mental illness, rather than discriminating against it," says Dr Poutasi.

"The campaign has really planted the seeds for new ways of thinking about mental illness. It's also a tribute to those who have shared their experiences with the public, either through advertising or in their local communities, they have shown courage to help change society's perceptions."

Health Minister Annette King says the success is "fantastic news". "The advertising particularly has been winning the hearts and minds of New Zealanders for some time, and research has shown that people related to the campaign when it comes to thinking about mental health in a different way."

Judges of the Marketing Magazine Marketing Awards said the entire project has helped make people comfortable around an area of mystery and taboo. They said the project helped remove stigmas, and that it was not often you saw such dramatic changes in people's attitudes, as proven in the research.

Dr Poutasi says the advertisements model what the research shows - that supportive friends and colleagues can make a difference to the lives and recovery of people who experience mental illness.

"Research shows that since viewers saw the first advertisements, they now want more information on mental illness, particularly how it affects people and how they can support people who experience mental illness. Local providers particularly are there to provide this information and support to their communities."